Car-coupling



(No Model.)

B. W. ALLEE.

. N GGGGGGGGGG G. No. 322,339. Patented July 14, 1 35 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, ELIAS WILSON ALLEE, oFL YNNvIL E, IOWA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 322,339, dated July 14, 1885.

Application filed April .20, 1895. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIAS W. ALLEE, .a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of 'Lynnville, in the county of Jasper and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in (Jar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to automatic car-couplings; and it consists ina draw-head having an interior coupling-hook cast integral therewith and adapted to engage the end of a coupling-link of ordinary construction, and a cam-' piece arranged at the bottom of the draw-head in rear of the hook in such a'manner that when the said cam-piece is elevated into'contact with the inner operative end of the said hook'it will form an incline or bridge over which the end of the coupling-link passes in removing the link from the draw-head.

Referring to the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a draw-head in which my invention is embodied, showing a couplinglink of ordinary construction in engagement therewith. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the center of the drawhead, showing the cam-piece resting in its normal inoperative position; and Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the cam-piece elevated into its operative position to admit of the coupling-link being withdrawn from the drawhead.

The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures. Referring to the several parts by letter, A represents the draw-head, which is cast with the interior rearwardlyinclined hooks,B, both on its upper and lower interior sides, each of which is beveled upon its upper forward side, so that the coupling-link will slide easily up the said inclined surface in entering the drawhead. As the cars are slacked up for the purpose of coupling them, the end of the coupling link, after passing over the upper inclined portion of the said hook,falls by its own weight upon the lower inclined surface, 'a, of that portion of the recess of the draw-head back of the couplinghook, and as the cars move apart from each other the end of the couplinglink, following the downward-inclined surface, is drawn beneath the operating inner end of the hook B so as to engage firmly therewith,

as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

In a vertical slot, a, immediately to the rear of the hook B, works a cam-piece, C, secured upon a transverse shaft, 0, which is of a length slightly greaterthan the width of the car, and

has secured upon each end a hand-wheel, c, to admit of the cam-piece being operated by the brakeman from the side of the car, there- When it is desired to nncouple the cars, the

train is slacked up, which disengages the ends of the. coupling-linkfrom the hooks B and forces them up the incline a to a point back of the cam-pieee C. The transverse shaft carrying the campiece is now rotated by means of one of the hand-wheels at its ends, so as to elevate the cam-piece G into its operative position with one of its ends or corners bearing against the point of the hook B, as shown in Fig. 3, so that when the cars move apart again the end of the coupling-link, instead of passing under the hook B, will ride up over the inclined side of the cam-piece O (which closes or cuts off the entrance to the space beneath. the hook-point) and over the inclined top of the hook out of the draw-head,

thereby uncoupling the cars. When the brakeman removes his hand from the wheel a, the cam-piece falls by its own weight down Within the slot (1, so as to leave the hook B free to engage the coupling-link, when the car is again coupled to another.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of my improved car-coupling will be readily understood without requiring further explanation.

It will be seen that my coupling device is exceedingly simple in construction, and is de- 7 void of all springs or complicated mechanism which is liable to break or get out of order.

The draw-head is made double, as shownthat is to say; it is provided at both its upper and lower sides with an interior coupling-hook and suitable openings for the canrpiece and its operating-shaftso that in case the hook on the inner lower side of the draw-head becomes broken the draw-head may be reversed in a few moments by any person and the campiece and its operating-shaft secured in what will then be the lower side of the head, so as to operate the same as before, thereby effecting a considerable saving both in time and money.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1'. The combination of the draw-head having the interior coupling-hook and the campiece arranged at the bottom of the drawhead in rear of the hook, for the purpose set forth.

v 2. The combination of the draw-head having the interior rcarwardly-eXtending coupling hook integral therewith and the cam-piece secured upon a transverse shaft at the bottom of the draw-head in rear of the hook, as set forth. I

3. The combination of the draw-head having the interior coupling-hook, the transverse shaft arranged at the rear of said hook, and the cam-piece secured centrally upon the transverse shaft, for the purpose set forth.

4. The reversible draw-head having at both its upper and lower sides the interior rearwardly-extending coupling-hook, the vertical slot for the cam-piece, and the horizontal opening for the transverse shaft upon which the said campiece is secured, in combination with the cam-piece and its operating-shaft, as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELIAS XVILSON ALLEE.

*itn esses:

O. R. DIXON, G. M. MENDENHALL. 

